Beached Dunlin
Published: November 01, 2019
Tags: Migration, dunlin, sanderling, bald eagle, peregrine falcon, bonaparte's gull
After a windy night of rain, I checked out the beach at Woodlawn SP this morning. The poor Dunlin pictured below was probably exhausted from trying to push through the storm and took refuge on the beach. I walked by it as I made my way along the shore and it never moved. It was still there when I came back, surely a sign it needed to recuperate. Poor thing. It didn’t look injured so I wished it well and let it rest.
Not too far from the Dunlin, a lone Sanderling was also on the beach. But this guy was actively foraging for food, chasing the waves and looking for invertebrates as is their nature. It didn’t seem any worse for the wear after the storm and it was a treat to watch him scampering about.
As I later learned, last night’s storm did incredible damage to the Lake Erie shore. Times Beach had many downed trees, a seiche that developed in the lake broke off chunks of the breakwall, and portions of the boardwalk were upheaved and broken. The nature preserve was closed to the public after that. The new breakwall along Wright Beach near the Dunkirk Harbor was also severely damaged - an incredibly disappointing sight for that brand, spanking new and beautiful beachfront. It’s a miracle more injured or beached birds weren’t found afterwards.